Nierenberg Prize for Science in the Public Interest Honors Ira Flatow

As National Public Radio's (NPR) science correspondent from 1971 to 1986, Ira Flatow found himself reporting from the Kennedy Space Center, Three Mile Island, Antarctica and the South Pole. In one memorable NPR report, Flatow took former All Things Considered host Susan Stamberg into a closet to crunch Wint-O-Green Lifesavers, proving they spark in the dark.

Flatow has shared that enthusiasm with public radio listeners for more than 35 years, and the TV veteran and author now hosts NPR's weekly Science Friday, bringing radio and Internet listeners worldwide a lively, informative discussion on science, technology, health, space and the environment that makes science "user friendly."

Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and the William Nierenberg family are honored to announce that Ira Flatow, science journalist and host of NPR's Science Friday, has been selected to receive the 2010 Nierenberg Prize for Science in the Public Interest.

The public is invited to attend the free presentation by Flatow, entitled "Science is Sexy," following a brief award ceremony on Tuesday, November 9, 2010, at 7 p.m. in the main auditorium at the Robert Paine Scripps Forum for Science, Society and the Environment (Scripps Seaside Forum) located at 8610 Kennel Way in La Jolla.

Flatow's interest in things scientific began in boyhood. He almost burned down his mother's bathroom trying to recreate a biology class experiment. "I was the proverbial kid who spent hours in the basement experimenting with electronic gizmos, and then entering them in high school science fairs," Flatow says.
Mixing his passion for science with a tendency toward being "a bit of a ham," Flatow describes his work as the challenge "to make science and technology a topic for discussion around the dinner table."

Admission to the presentation is free but reservations are required, and seating and parking are limited. To reserve a ticket, please contact Visitors Services at (858) 534-4109.

The Nierenberg Prize for Science in the Public Interest was created to honor the memory of William A. Nierenberg, who was director of UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography for 21 years. A bronze medal and a $25,000 prize are awarded each year for outstanding contributions to science in the public interest. The award was created and is supported by gifts from the Nierenberg Family.

Previous Nierenberg Prize winners include: Harvard Naturalist E.O. Wilson, (2001); Newsman Walter Cronkite, (2002); Marine Ecologist Jane Lubchenco, (2003); Primatologist Dame Jane Goodall, (2004); Nature Filmmaker Sir David Attenborough, (2005); Technology Innovator Gordon Moore, (2006); Genomics Pioneer J. Craig Venter, (2007); Climate Researcher James Hansen, (2008) and Evolutionary Biologist Richard Dawkins, (2009).